The Senso-Ji Shrine in Asakusa, Japan.

Trip details

The giant panda at the Ueno Park zoo in Tokyo.

Akio Shimizu and his family welcomed the Safrises into their home. Here, he is shown with Ben and David Safris.

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Our family of five decided to take a very different trip this year to Tokyo and Hokuto City, Japan.

It was an opportunity for us to expose our kids to a very different culture and for my husband, David, to reconnect with his Japanese connections. (He spent three months attending a Japanese business university.) In addition, his family hosted a Japanese exchange student for five years.

We started our journey in Tokyo after a 15-hour flight from Chicago. We told the kids how crowded Tokyo is, but the mass of people overwhelmed our jet-lagged senses as we clutched our roller bags through the bustling station and onto the street. You don’t want to stop in the middle of the sidewalk for fear of being trampled or disrupting the flow.

Our first day in Tokyo was spent at the Meiji Shrine, which is in a beautifully forested park. A steady rain added to the serenity and created an exotic atmosphere. It is hard to believe that such a serene location is nestled in the heart of one of the largest cities in the world.

The Shinto shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji, who created a more open system in Japan, even though he also destroyed the samurais and shoguns. As we meandered through the forest, we came upon the shrine as a ceremony took place that involved an immense drum being beat.

Some of the highlights of Tokyo were visiting the Meiji Shrine, Senso-Ji Shrine in Asakusa and Ueno Park, which includes a zoo and the Tokyo National Museum. At the Ueno Park zoo, home to an adorable giant panda, we were greeted by eager students saying “hello” or “how are you?” and then running away giggling. One child gave us a hand-drawn map and we were able to take pictures with his group.

After four days in Tokyo, we went to Hokuto City, near the fabled Mount Fuji. Hokuto City is in a beautiful region with forested mountains, waterfalls, agriculture and lakes. It is a huge contrast to Tokyo’s bustling metropolis, just an hour and a half away by train.

We were greeted warmly by the Shimizu family. We stayed in their house and were served delicious meals. We took trips to many sites including the Paul Rusch Museum, the teacher and missionary who brought American football to Japan; a music box museum, where we discovered an accordion music box from Iowa; and an amusement park with some insane roller coasters.

One highlight of this area was celebrating our daughter’s birthday with the Shimizu family. They prepared a huge feast, two cakes and topped it all off with fireworks. Another highlight was singing Japanese and English karaoke with them.

Japan is a study of contrasts. There is calmness about the people even in the bustling cities. Their outer facade does not give clues to the warmth, knowledge and individualism they embody. Japan is also one of the few places in the world where Shintoism coexists with Buddhism. Shinto is deeply rooted in the people and traditions. As a result, there is little crime and people believe in honoring their families.